Stories about the high opt out rates in Néw York state usually focus in Long Island. However, upstate Néw York–near the Canadian border–also had a huge number of students refuse the state’s Common Core tests.

“The average opt-out rate for Franklin County schools in 2014-15 was about 46 percent for the ELA exam and about 51 percent for the math assessment.

“While a high number of test refusals skews the results to some extent, Griffin noted, “we are very proud of those students who did take the exams last spring.

“We are looking forward to showing even more improvement in 2015-16.”

“Saranac Central School Superintendent Jonathan Parks agrees that a high opt-out rate, which Clinton County also experienced in 2014-15, makes it hard to analyze the exam scores.

“With the average test-refusal rates for Clinton County schools at 41 percent for ELA and 46 percent for math, any analyses or comparisons are difficult to make, and perhaps even statistically invalid,” he told the Press-Republican. “I am not a statistician, but it would seem to me that the only way that any determination of overall results would be accurate would be if there were a random sampling technique used, and this was clearly not happening in schools across the region or the state.

“Without a careful look at the ability levels of all students who refused the tests, it’s hard to really say how well our students did on these tests.”

“The statewide refusal rate — about 20 percent — was much lower than that of the county, he added.

“And even that rate calls into question the proficiency levels reported by NYSED (New York State Education Department),” Parks said. ”

These are not affluent districts. They are not suburbs. They are semi-rural and rural. Their elected representatives should take note.